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cameo

cameo


cam·e·o    Audio Help   (kām'ē-ō')   

n.   pl. cam·e·os

    1. A gem or shell carved in relief, especially one in which the raised design and the background consist of layers of contrasting colors.

    2. The technique of carving in this way.

    3. A medallion with a profile cut in raised relief.

  2. A brief vivid portrayal or depiction: a literary cameo.

  3. A brief appearance of a prominent actor, as in a single scene of a motion picture. Also called cameo role.

v.   cam·e·oed, cam·e·o·ing, cam·e·os

v.   tr.

  1. To make into or like a gem or shell carved in relief.

  2. To portray in sharp, delicate relief, as in a literary composition.

v.   intr.
To make a brief appearance, as in a film: She cameoed as Anne Boleyn in A Man for All Seasons.

[Italian cameo and Middle English cameu (from Old French camaieu and Medieval Latin camahūtus).]
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
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